Self-closing packaging for moisture-sensitive material

ABSTRACT

Packaging for moisture-sensitive material, in particular detergent material, comprising an outer container comprising a container body and a lid cover hingedly fixed to the container body, and an inner bag made of water-impermeable flexible sheet material for receiving the moisture-sensitive material, the mouth of the inner bag being fixed both at the lid cover and at the sidewalls of the container body in such a way that, when the lid cover is lifted, the lower part of the inner bag is significantly lifted from the bottom of the container body.

The invention is directed to a packaging for moisture-sensitivematerial, in particular detergent material.

Commonly, moisture-sensitive material, such as detergent material, e.g.detergent powder, granules, tablets or detergents contained inwater-soluble sachets, are packaged in containers made of cardboardmaterial with a lining of water-impermeable sheet material to protectthe contents from absorption of water from the atmosphere. However, theuser has to make sure that the packaging is closed again after usage. Ifnot, the moisture-sensitive material can chemically degrade potentiallyaffecting the activity of ingredients or suffer a negative impact on itsphysical properties (i.e. resistance, solubility, . . . ). Additionally,there may be a substantial loss of volatile material such as perfumefrom the material, when the container is not tightly closed.

Although this negative impact on moisture is undesirable in general, itis particularly problematic in the case of tablets not individuallywrapped in a moisture isolating film or even worse in the case ofdetergents packaged in water-soluble monodose sachets, for instance inPVOH sachets. Such sachets are getting sticky when absorbing water fromthe atmosphere, resulting in adhering to each other. When trying toseparate such adhered sachets, destroying of the water-soluble filmmaterial is highly likely. Moreover, undesirable loss of water from thecontents of such sachets is another problem if they are not contained ina tight packaging.

The object of the invention therefore is to provide for a tightpackaging ensuring reliable protection of the contents thereof frommoisture in the atmosphere and/or avoiding escape of volatile materialfrom the packaging. This object is solved by a packaging comprising anouter container comprising a container body and a lid cover hingedlyfixed to the container body, and an inner bag made of water-impermeableflexible sheet material for receiving the moisture-sensitive material,the mouth of the inner bag being fixed both at the lid cover and at thesidewalls of the container body in such a way that, when the lid coveris lifted, the lower part of the inner bag is significantly lifted fromthe bottom of the container body.

In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the mouth of the inner bagis fixed at the edge portion of the lid cover being opposite to thehinged portion thereof and at least at the edge portion of the containerbody being adjacent to the said edge portion of the lid cover in theclosed state of the outer container.

In the most preferred embodiment, the inner bag is fixed at no otherportion of the outer container.

The invention is also directed to the use of a packaging according tothe invention for packaging material containing volatile ingredients orwater-soluble sachets containing detergent material.

The packaging of the present invention provides for a system ensuringautomatic self-closing of the packaging after having been opened by theuser to take out a portion of the powder or granules or one or moretablets or sachets in order to protect the moisture-sensitive contentsthereof. The invention is based on providing an inner bag which isrelatively loose within the outer container, i.e. basically only themouth of the inner bag being fixed thereto.

However, the inventive packaging does not only provide for a reliableprotection of the contents thereof from moisture in the atmosphere, butis also a tight packaging in another sense, namely by avoiding escape ofvolatile matter from the packaging. Such volatile material may, forexample, be perfume commonly used in detergent material. In case of thepreferred use of the inventive packaging, namely for water-solublesachets containing detergent material, the tight packaging of thepresent invention also avoids “drying out” of the sachets, i.e. loss ofwater or other liquids from the material contained therein by migrationacross the film material of the sachets.

It is essential to at least fix one portion of the mouth of the innerbag to the lid cover and another portion to a sidewall of the containerto allow opening of the inner bag by lifting the lid cover. Forstability of the package, the inner bag filled with themoisture-sensitive material will preferably be close to or even at leastpartly supported on the bottom of the container in its closed state. Itis, however, essential for the invention that the lower part of theinner bag will be substantially lifted from the bottom when lifting thelid cover for opening the package. Only then, it can be guaranteed thatthe weight of the contents of the inner bag, by gravitational effect,will draw back the lid cover to its closed state when released by theuser. There are no specific restrictions for the materials used for theouter container and the inner bag of the package of the presentinvention with the exception that the inner bag should be made ofwater-impermeable flexible sheet material to allow protection of thecontents and, by the form of a loose bag, to function according to theinvention. Such water-impermeable sheet material may be polyethylene orany other polymeric sheet material with comparable characteristics. Theouter container may be made out of cardboard material although notrestricted thereto.

In an alternative embodiment to the present invention there is providedpackaging for moisture sensitive material comprising an outer containerincluding a container body and a lid movable between an open and aclosed position relative to the container body, and an inner containermade of water-impermeable material for receiving the moisture sensitivematerial, the inner container being fixed to both the container body andthe lid of the outer container such that when the lid is moved from theclosed position to the open position, a lower part of the innercontainer is lifted relative to its position when the lid is in theclosed position such that in use, the lid is biased to the closedposition.

The lid may be pivotable between the open and the closed position, or itmay be slidable between the two positions.

The inner container may be comprised of foldable sheet water-impermeablematerial or from flexible water impermeable material.

The invention is explained in more detail by the following examplesrepresented by the drawings wherein

FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of a packaging according to a firstembodiment of the present invention in its closed state; and

FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of the same packaging in its openedstate.

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of the same packaging in its openedstate.

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of a packaging according to a secondembodiment of the present invention in its opened state.

The packaging of the present invention comprises an outer container 10comprising a container body consisting of upright sidewalls 11 and abottom 12. At position 15 at the upper end of one of the sidewalls 11 alid cover 13 is hingedly fixed thereto. The portion of the lid cover 13being opposite to the hinged portion 15 is designated in the drawings byreference numeral 14 and the edge portions of the sidewalls 11 of thecontainer body being adjacent to the edge portion 14 of the lid coverwhen the packaging is in its closed state, are designated by referencenumeral 16.

The contents 30 of the packaging (in the example detergent tablets orwater-soluble sachets filled with detergent material) are contained inan inner bag 20 made of flexible sheet material. The mouth of the innerbag 20 is fixed at the edge portion 14 of the lid cover 13 as well as atthe edge portions 16 of the sidewalls 11 of the container body. In theclosed state of the container, as represented in FIG. 1, the lowest partof the inner bag 20 is close to or even supported on the bottom 12 ofthe container body.

It is an essential feature of the packaging of the present inventionthat the mouth of the inner bag 20 is opened when lifting the lid cover13 as represented by the double arrow of FIG. 2. At the same time, it isessential that the lower part of the inner bag is significantly liftedfrom the bottom 12 of the outer container 10 in order to ensure that, bygravitational force, the weight of the contents of the inner bag willdraw back the lid cover 13 to its closed state after release asindicated by the large downward arrow in FIG. 2.

The features disclosed in the foregoing description, claims and/ordrawings may, both separately and in any combination thereof, bematerial realising the invention in the deiverse forms thereof.

1. Packaging for moisture-sensitive material, in particular detergentmaterial, comprising an outer container (10) comprising a container body(11, 12) and a lid cover (13) hingedly fixed to the container body, andan inner bag (20) made of water-impermeable flexible sheet material forreceiving the moisture-sensitive material (30), the mouth of the innerbag being fixed both at the lid cover (13) and at the sidewalls (11) ofthe container body (11, 12) in such a way that, when the lid cover (13)is lifted, the lower part of the inner bag (20) is significantly liftedfrom the bottom (12) of the container body.
 2. Packaging according toclaim 1 wherein the mouth of the inner bag (20) is fixed at the edgeportion (14) of the lid cover (13) being opposite to the hinged portion(15) thereof and at the edge portion (16) of the container body beingadjacent to the said edge portion (14) of the lid cover (13) in theclosed state of the outer container (10).
 3. Packaging according toclaim 1 wherein the mouth of the inner bag (20) is fixed at the edgeportion (14) of the lid cover (13) being opposite to the hinged portion(15) thereof and at the sidewall (11) of the container body beingopposite to the sidewall of the container where the hinge (15) of thelid is formed.
 4. Packaging according to claim 1 wherein the inner bag(20) is fixed at no other portion of the outer container (10).
 5. Use ofa packaging according to claim 1 for packaging material containingvolatile ingredients.
 6. Use of a packaging according to claim 1 forpackaging water-soluble sachets containing detergent material.
 7. Use ofa packaging material according to claim 2 for packaging water-solublesachets containing detergent material.
 8. Use of a packaging materialaccording to claim 3 for packaging water-soluble sachets containingdetergent material.